Here’s what Atari’s upcoming Ataribox console will look like

Retro consoles are the new next-gen consoles, and nothing’s more retro console than Atari . That’s why the teases from the gaming company about its upcoming ‘Ataribox’ have been so intriguing to gaming fans – it could be amazing. Now, we know what it looks like, and thanks to an email update (via The Verge), also broadly what it will be able to do.

The design is clearly an homage to the Atari of yore, but it’s also not a straight up miniaturization like the NES Classic. Instead, it inherits some of the materials (there’s a woodgrain option and a black glass front, depending on your preference. There are also ports for an SD card, HDMI, and four USB, and the company will be offering classic games on the console, similar to the NES Classic’s library.

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But the Ataribox will also be able to run “current” games, so it could be more like a modern set-top gaming device, too. We don’t yet know much about what that’s going to offer on that scale, but it’d be interesting if this was essentially a Shield-like Android TV device with a host of retro Atari titles pre-loaded and some media streaming capabilities.

Nothing yet on final availability or pricing, but it’s still an intriguing project to keep an eye on – and one which could indicate the true depth of the retro gaming fad’s appeal.